Alang

AHMEDABAD: The hands that used to work on mammoth ocean liners and crude carriers and generated revenues worth Rs 80,000 crore till 2008 in one of the largest ship-breaking yards, have deserted it. Alang Ship Breaking Yard, on Gujarat's Bhavnagar coast, which until 2004 could boast of being one of the biggest employers of migrant labour, has lost its men to other clusters as it lost business to Bangladesh. Over a period of four years, numbers have dwindled from 40,000 to about 5,000 migrant labourers.

NEW DELHI: To encourage the ship-breaking industry, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade is mulling to relax the penalty on bunker extracted out of the vessels coming for scrapping. The DGFT is considering the proposal moved by the shipping ministry to treat the leftover fuel as part of the ship and not a separate item. Recyclers on the yards have to pay a duty as well as penalty on the remnant fuel because the ship bringing it is...

MUMBAI: Clamour by major steel producing companies and the subsequent hike in import duty on junk ships has taken the wind out of the sails of Alang, till recently the world's largest ship-breaking yard. A report by the UK-based Clarkson's recent report says Alang has lost its numero uno position to China, which demolished 7.9 million tonne of old ships during January-August, a 111% jump from last year. India's demolition activities have been steadily declining. Wide fluctuations in local steel...

MUMBAI: A sudden price crash in re-rollable steel scrap has forced Alang, the world's largest junk-ship demolition yard, to close down its operations temporarily. Ship-breaking activities in Alang came to a standstill today (Friday) after breakers under the aegis of the Gujarat Ship Breakers' Association (GSBA) decided to shut down yards for three days to cut down production. This has brought down the international ship demolition prices, from its peak of $270 per...

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court directed the central government today to file its reply to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which sought labourers' safety at Alang ship-breaking yard in Bhavnagar district. A two-judge bench of the Gujarat High Court comprising acting Chief Justice V M Sahai and Justice R P Dholaria directed the Centre government today, for the second time, as its last chance, to file an affidavit in reply to the PIL ...

BHAVNAGAR: Five persons were killed today and seven others injured when a blast triggered by a suspected gas leak took place in a ship being dismantled at the Alang ship-breaking yard in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat . "Five persons were killed while seven others sustained injuries after a fire broke out following a blast in the ship which was being dismantled in plot number 140 at the yard," Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) K J Rathod of Marine Police Station, Alang said.

MUMBAI: Diwali has never been so good at Alang, the world's largest yard for junk ships, as demolition prices have gone through the roof over the past few months. Prices have risen by 30-40%, and at least one breaker from Alang crossed $200 per LDT (light displacement tonnage, the actual weight of the vessel) barrier last week. The reason: "There is tremendous shortage in the supply of junk vessels. On the other hand, all ship breaking countries ? India, Bangladesh, China and...

AHMEDABAD: The world's largest ship-breaking yard at Alang in Gujarat is all set to get a facelift. It is being corporatised. If all goes according to plans by the state's maritime authorities, environment-related controversies, inordinate delays in developing infrastructure due to government procedures and disputes over 'non-compliance' with international maritime regulations will soon become a thing of past. In fact, IL&FS, the leading infrastructure...

NEW DELHI: Ajit Sukhija, owner of the Panjim Inn Heritage Hotel in Goa , has been a visitor to Alang's growing markets with recycled goods from the ships for more than ten years now. He took along his daughter-in-law, Miriam Koshy, there for the first time in 2005. Amidst the furniture, equipment and rugs that were of interest to the hotelier, Koshy spotted interesting paintings and other art works. When ships are dismantled, the paintings and other art work hanging in...

MUMBAI: Alang in Gujarat is swinging back to life. Once world's largest ship demolition centre, now a marginal player, Alang is slowly breathing life into itself, thanks to over two dozen junk ships that were beached recently for breaking, after an unusually long break. A ship-breaker from Alang said Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is only providing beaching permissions, and that none have received breaking clearance. "At least 25 ships have come to Alang for...

AHMEDABAD: Clemenceau's return has sunk hopes at Alang, Asia's biggest ship-breaking yard where the decommissioned French aircraft carrier was to be junked. The news of a large ship coming had ignited hopes of 25,000 workers who have migrated from places as far off as Orissa and Bihar, hundreds of rolling steel makers, bankers, chartered accountants and even those who make a living by selling gadgets, old telephone sets, collectibles, etc, procured from dismantled...

NEW DELHI: State-owned trading firm MSTC has proposed to set up an integrated ship recycling yard under the Public Private Partnership route at Alang in Gujarat. "The project can bring in substantial revenue for the government in the form of taxes and levies on the real value of goods as recorded in the e-commerce transactions," MSTC, which is under the administrative control of Steel Ministry, has said in its proposal. It will also ensure that steel and allied products from...

NEW DELHI: Communication sets of vessels being scrapped at Asia's largest ship breaking yard at Alang in Gujarat need to be destroyed so as to prevent their misuse, an inter-ministerial panel has recommended. It has also said that the overall security at the yard, which produces 3.5 million tonne of re-rollable steel per year and employs around 50,000 people, be beefed up and the area should have more policemen. "Keeping in view the number of ships arriving at the port...

NEW DELHI: Ajit Sukhija, owner of the Panjim Inn Heritage Hotel in Goa , has been a visitor to Alang's growing markets with recycled goods from the ships for more than ten years now. He took along his daughter-in-law, Miriam Koshy, there for the first time in 2005. Amidst the furniture, equipment and rugs that were of interest to the hotelier, Koshy spotted interesting paintings and other art works. When ships are dismantled, the paintings and other art work hanging in the lounges and...

The 50-km drive from the district centre of Bhavnagar to the maritime graveyard at the AlangSosiya Ship Recycling Yard is bumpy and unpleasant. But for a few years now, this road has witnessed a growing stream of bargain hunters from all over India on an unlikely shopping expedition. When a ship dies, it doesn't receive a dignified burial. It is taken apart to the every last valuable ounce of metal,...

MUMBAI: Even as there is an ongoing war of words between environmentalists , authorities and trade over entry into Indian waters and subsequent dismantling of some ships which are controversial in nature and content, the country's ship-breaking industry is busy sealing its current position as world's top shipbreaking nation. In 2011-12 ,India reclaimed its lost position as the world's largest ship-breaking nation with its yards in Alang and...

MUMBAI: The dollar may be fast losing lustre, but not in the ship-breaking business ? especially 'illegal' dollar payments ? because cash advances in excess of $100,000 are not allowed by the Reserve Bank of India. At Alang, which is one of the largest ship demolition yards in the world, under-invoicing and money laundering have become rampant, according to sources. The customs recently detected large-scale under-invoicing and money laundering at the ship-breaking yard. Sources said this is a...

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Maritime Board has cleared beaching of American ship Exxon Valdez ( MV Oriental N ) at Alang after inspections following objections by environmental groups. No objectionable material was found during a series of inspections by pollution control authority, customs and safety directorate, GMB said in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court. The ship was checked for contents and quantity of asbestos, oil, nuclear materials. Environment...

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Maritime Board has cleared beaching of American ship Exxon Valdez ( MV Oriental N ) at Alang after inspections following objections by environmental groups. No objectionable material was found during a series of inspections by pollution control authority, customs and safety directorate, GMB said in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court. The ship was checked for contents and quantity of asbestos, oil, nuclear materials. Environment activists said the...

MUMBAI: Asia's biggest ship-breaking yard at Alang in Gujarat is facing rough weather due to rupee depreciation. Ship-breakers are likely to bear a total loss of Rs 2,000 crore for the fiscal year as the rupee fell by over 18% in the last seven months. Expecting no immediate respite from the current market conditions, the ship-breakers plan to meet the Finance Ministry this week to seek a cut in customs duty of 5% on...